There should be more summer nights when both the White Sox and the Cubs aren’t playing baseball.
Yeah, there were a few riveting moments in the three games they played against each other this week.
There was a successful suicide squeeze bunt by Brent Lillibridge that helped the White Sox win the rubber match Wednesday night. It scored A.J. Pierzynski, who had tripled, also a rare treat.
Paul Konerko homered in the first two games. Carlos Pena went deep in all three, including a three-run bomb off of a wobbly Gavin Floyd that was the difference in Monday’s opener, a 6-3 Cubs win.
Starlin Castro made some terrific plays defensively and was sharp at the plate. Alex Rios showed more signs he’s still breathing.
Sergio Santos looked like a bona fide closer again. Carlos Zambrano proved he could survive a rocky first, catch his breath and then throw seven scoreless innings.
We had a controversial call, which led to an Ozzie Guillen ejection. And nothing says White Sox more than a little in-fighting, so Pierzynski and Jake Peavy exchanged words during Game 3.
As much as anything, however, those three nights at U.S. Cellular Field served as a reminder of what this season has been for fans of both teams: Annoying.
The White Sox won their 17th straight interleague series, but they remain a team that hasn’t sniffed the .500 mark since they were 7-7 on April 16. The standings show the third-place Sox just 41/2 games back, but it’s tough to do handsprings over a club that’s still break even in its own park.
As much as anything, that’s on Adam Dunn, who was supposed to get home run silly in the cozy confines of a hitter’s park. Dunn’s getting worse instead of better. The boos are getting louder. They are deserved.
Depending on your perspective, it’s either annoying or enormously entertaining when the White Sox have runners steal on them. One night after the Sox pitched out and still failed to nail a runner, Jesse Crain’s pitch-out attempt sailed out of Pierzynski’s grasp.
Then there’s the incessant Guillen-Kenny Williams soap opera resurrected earlier in the week. Questioned about possible roster moves — specifically, the promotion of Dayan Viciedo, who’s tearing it up at Triple-A Charlotte — both pushed the responsibility on the other.
Is that wilting relationship actually costing the Sox wins? Probably not, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying. Like a blister on the roof of your mouth.
As for the Cubs, there were several reminders of why 2011 has been maddening. With the DH at his disposal, Mike Quade played Alfonso Soriano in left field in two games. Maybe some of the kids won’t ever be difference-makers, but nobody expects Soriano ever to be a professional outfielder. Why would he start now?
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Quade is trying to win this year, as is his boss, Jim Hendry. That means three more months of the Cubs resembling the Island of Misfit Toys instead of defining who they are — rebuilding — and committing to it.
With the Cubs needing a ground ball to tie Wednesday’s game, Quade let light-hitting catcher Koyie Hill go to the plate against Crain. You can’t help but think the rookie manager — as they all do — played percentages on righty-lefty.
The thing is, the right-handed Crain actually has been rougher on left-handed hitters. Hill failed and the Cubs didn’t score. Didn’t win.
I must give credit to the fans on both sides for not falling prey to the usual attendant Sox-Cubs nonsense this week. That point was made clear by the lowest attendance in a three-game series between the two since interleague play began in 1997.
The novelty has expired. Meatheaded behavior has been curbed. Perspective on how unimportant these series are has been gained.
Or maybe both sides are just too exhausted from being annoyed by the team for which they root.
Dan McNeil hosts “The Danny Mac Show” weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WSCR-AM 670.